Pastor's Pen - March 2020

Lent is upon us as we have begun the 40 day journey towards Easter. It also feels as if the earth is slowly getting ready for Easter with its fresh smell of damp soil, and all the buds, and the birds, and the flowers lending a kind of emotional power to the mystery of new life that we proclaim. According to the ancient plan of the church, Lent begins in the cold and dark, then journeys slowly toward warmth and light.

I imagine, to some, it sounds so medieval to ask people to torment themselves with deprivations and to feel guilty about their shortcomings just because Easter is coming. I have not been much of one to promote self-flagellation, hair shirts, cats-of-nine-tails, or even fasting for extended periods. The old traditions of Lent include a lot of penitential acts that were meant to tame the willful flesh of its sinful desires. I was a bit amused to come across a Protestant publication from the 1880’s that suggested the following rules for Lent: “Eat nothing sweet. Do not put salt, pepper, or mustard on your food. Put no sugar or cream in your coffee or tea. Read nothing amusing, including novels, poetry, or humorous nonfiction. Eat no meat for two days a week, and give the money you would have spent on meat to the church. Get up five minutes early each day to pray or read devotional literature.”

My first reaction to this list was, “Mustard? What about ketchup? Horseradish? Salsa?” If we were to extend the spirit of these rules to the 21st century, we might include: Watch nothing on TV except the news. Stay off Facebook. Don’t play Candy Crush – or whatever. In fact, get off the electronic devices altogether. It is just 40 days, not counting Sundays, for Sundays are never “fast days.”

In sermons or in church, I often do not ask people to “give things up for Lent”. It is a deeply individual thing and something each person must wrestle with in their own heart. As a pastor, I am much more likely to ask you to take up a good cause for Lent, or a good habit, or a productive activity. And yet, I must admit that there is something powerful about occasionally saying no to our desires. There is something compelling, perhaps even something wise, about practicing resistance against the constant urge to indulge ourselves.

When we deny ourselves the luxuries that we are used to, we learn a liberating thing: we need very little in life. And though denying ourselves mustard doesn’t teach us what it is like to be poor, it does remind us that there are those in the world who struggle to survive, who cannot afford even the smallest indulgences. When we deny ourselves the excesses of life, we learn a new appreciation for things we once took for granted. Most importantly, perhaps, when we say no to our desires, we have more time to be in relationship with God. This year I am doing intermittent fasting throughout Lent and taking that time to appreciate all God’s handiwork in the world around me.

Lent is a holy time, a joyful time to discover anew what it means to be spiritual beings, following after the way of the Christ. I hope you will use this time intentionally and well.

In Christ’s Peace,

Pastor Joanne